by Stella James
“A mouse! A fucking mouse!”
I can’t help but laugh at her as she scrambles back and tries to hide behind me.
“Don’t laugh, it was huge, it’s going to be crawling all over the house while we sleep,” she whispers angrily.
“Grey, calm down,” I remove her hands from my arm. “I’ll set a trap before I head upstairs.”
“Christ, that scared the living shit out of me,” she laughs quietly, looking down to where our hands are still joined. She looks back up at me, a question in her soft brown eyes.
The air between us grows thick, my heart beats like a drum in my chest and when I hear the sharp intake of her breath all bets are off. Fuck it. I press my mouth firmly to hers and wait for her to push me away, but she doesn’t. She opens up for me and kisses me back with just as much urgency. Her hands trail up my arms, her fingers lacing together behind my neck as I pull her closer to me, her curves flush against me. She lifts one leg, wrapping it around me and grinds herself along my hardening cock. She moans softly against my mouth and when I tangle my fingers into her hair, her lips part and I slide my tongue against hers. Her mouth tastes like peppermint, our breath mingles as we pull apart slightly and stare at each other.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” I whisper.
She slowly removes her hands from my neck and places her foot back on the kitchen floor. An apology is on the tip of my tongue for being so careless but I stop myself when she reaches for the hem of her sweater and pulls it above her head. She reaches behind and unclasps her lacy black bra and drops it to the floor. Her breasts are full and tipped with pink nipples that instantly pebble against the cool air. The tattoo I caught a glimpse of earlier starts at her left hip bone and trails up her ribs, feminine vines climb her skin with bursts of brightly coloured flowers.
She takes a step forward and hesitantly brushes her fingertips along the waist band of my jeans before pulling my T-shirt up and over my head. She leans forward and presses her lips to my chest, nipping lightly with her teeth before tilting her head back and looking up at me.
“Do you want me Eric?” She asks.
“Yes,” I swallow hard.
She rises up on her toes and brings her mouth to my ear.
“Then fucking take me,” she says.
Any morsel of self- control that I had left dissolves before she can even pull away from me. I grip her tight ass and spin us around, lifting her onto the counter. She spreads her legs wide and wraps them tightly around my waist, holding me in place as I grind my cock against her, feeling the warmth from between her legs through my jeans and her thin black pants. The friction is nearly unbearable, our mouths completely consume one another, nipping, sucking and kissing any part of flesh that we can find. The internal battle of wanting to savour this moment and the desperation to feel myself inside of her is overwhelming. When our lips meet again, the urgency is multiplied and when her nails dig into my shoulders, a growl rumbles up from my chest and I know without a doubt that I need to have her now. I lift her from the counter and turn her around so that she’s facing the cabinets.
I grip the band of her pants and shove them down, along with the scrap of black lace that lays nestled between the globes of her perfect ass. She’s bare to me, the dim light from the stove highlighting her smooth skin and delicate tattoos. The hiss of my zipper echoes in the room and before I can bring myself to bury my painfully hard cock inside of her, I need to hear her say that this is what she wants. I lean over her, goosebumps prickling her skin as I sink my teeth into her shoulder and brush her hair away from her ear. I grip my cock and tease her pussy, feeling the wet heat.
“Are you sure Grey? Tell me you’re sure and I’ll make us both feel better,” I growl against her skin.
“Yes, please Eric, I need y- ahh, fuck,” she whimpers as I thrust inside of her from behind. She’s tight and warm and so fucking ready for me.
I pull out, dripping with her arousal and push back in, this time harder. Her pussy is tight and grabs a hold of me like a fucking vice. She’s gripping the edge of the counter, gasping for air and I’m utterly possessed by the feeling of her around me. I drive in and out, slowly and with purpose as she begins to relax around my cock. She pushes back into me with every thrust and just as I imagined she would, meets me halfway. Every. Single. Time.
“Oh my God Eric, don’t stop, harder, I need it harder,” she moans.
I clutch her hips and plunge into her, faster and harder until I’m about to see stars and she’s writhing beneath me. She tightens around me, strangling my cock, dripping all over it while she whispers my name over and over. When her tremors subside, I pull out and wrap a tight fist around the base of my dick, grunting and groaning as I come all over her backside. I once again lean over her, the sticky dampness of our skin forges us together as we fight for breath.
I’ve never come so hard in my damn life. When my heart stops banging against the walls of my chest and I feel like I can stand without passing out, I peel my body off of hers and tuck my still semi-hard dick back into my jeans. My cum is dripping slowly down the backs of her thighs, as if I’ve marked her. Mine. A savage voice so deep within me that I’ve never even heard it before claims her with certainty before I can even wrap my head around what we’ve just done.
She stands slowly and turns to face me, her eyes sated, a small smile on her full lips. She really is fucking beautiful. But the reality of what we just did, with my kid asleep down the Goddamn hallway, reminds me that I don’t get to be selfish. She catches the shift in me and her smile slowly fades, understanding evident in her eyes at my sudden reserve.
“Grey, I –“
“No. Please don’t say anything Eric. Just leave it alone, okay?”
She reaches down and pulls her pants up and places her arms in front of her naked breasts, covering herself from me. I hand her the discarded sweater and bra from the floor and she clutches them tightly to her chest. She looks up at me and holds her eyes to mine for a moment before turning and tiptoeing across the kitchen, towards the basement. I think she’s waiting for me to say something. To say anything other than this was a mistake and it shouldn’t have happened.
I don’t say anything.
Chapter 7
Grey
I throw the covers back and roll onto my side, again. I’ve been laying here for the better part of an hour and I still can’t get comfortable. Every time I close my eyes and absorb the dark silence around me, I’m treated with an overload of mental and physical reminders of what Eric and I just did. In his kitchen no less. I think part of me knew it was coming, Eric is insanely handsome with the build of a God. I can’t play coy and pretend that I haven’t noticed. And on top of that, he’s a good person and seeing how he is with Jamie damn near makes my ovaries weep. Not to mention he’s actually quite fun when he lets his guard down a bit and lets himself breathe.
Spending the day with him and Jamie at the beach was easily the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I caught his eyes on me several times while we were in the water but I didn’t mind a single bit, since my eyes were equally all over him and his muscular frame. Ugh, seriously, how the hell is a girl supposed to see the logical side of things when she’s seen tanned skin, gleaming under the sun while tiny drops of water roll down, down and down some more until they disappear? Sadly now, logic is waving a bright neon sign right in my damn face. You’re meant to be laying low. Eric has a child to worry about. It’s better for both of you if you chalk this up to a one time momentary lapse in good judgement, right? Adults are allowed to have those. But, God, the way he felt inside of me. I’ve never had such an immediate desire to be fucked so quickly in the entire history of my sexual experience. His lips on mine, his strong hands in my hair…the way he lifted me as if I were a feather.
How? How am I possibly going to forget that this happened? Reality, Grey. I’d have to keep things from him for his own good, and I hate lying. There’s no way we could build anything on top of a lie. He doesn’t
even know your real name.
*
I can’t have been asleep for more than a few hours when the alarm on my phone beeps at 6 a.m. I roll over and force myself to step away from the warmth of my bed. One look in the mirror as I brush my teeth has me cringing. My restless night is obvious in the bags under my eyes and the pale complexion looking back at me. I twist my hair up and wash my face, applying a thicker than usual layer of concealer and foundation to try and bring my skin back to life. I brush out my hair and braid it neatly over my shoulder and check the weather on my phone before dressing in a pair of shorts and a plain pink T-Shirt. I slip on my favourite canvas sneakers and pluck a banana from the bowl on the counter before I head for the door. I swing it open and clutch my chest in shock when I see Eric standing on the other side.
“Holy shit! Are you trying to kill me?!”
“Christ, sorry, I thought you’d still be getting ready for work,” he says. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I look down at his worn out boots and up his denim clad jeans to his tight forest green T-shirt all the way up to his dark blue eyes. Dammit.
“It’s fine,” I breathe out. “Walk me to my car?”
He tips his chin and I momentarily focus on the light stubble that seems to be ever present, a light but very noticeable sheet of goosebumps cover my skin as I recall just how it felt to have that stubble brush along my neck. Focus. I walk up the stairs first, with him close on my heels. The sun is just starting to come up behind the trees, when I reach the driver’s side door I turn back and scold my whiney inner voice that begs to have this man at least one more time.
“So, about last night, I th-“
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I mean, I’m not sorry it happened. But we shouldn’t do it again.”
“Right. Because of Jamie and, well we just kind of got caught up in the moment I think?” I offer.
“I think you’re right,” he says.
“Right.”
I can’t seem to move with his eyes on me. Partly because I want him to change his mind so that I can change mine too. And partly because I simply can’t. How did I not notice before just how deeply blue they are? A girl could lose herself and every ounce of her reality in eyes like these.
“Grey?”
“Yes!”
He tilts his head, brows creased.
“Are you okay? With…all of this? I don’t want you to feel like you have to be scarce because of it. I was just as much a part of last night.”
“Right, yeah, I know. I’m fine, I didn’t sleep well, that’s all,” I smile. “I better get going, I’ll pick Jamie up from camp, no worries. It’s all good here. With me.” Shut up Grey and get in the damn car.
“Okay, thanks,” he replies. “I’ll let you go then.”
I wish you wouldn’t.
I climb behind the wheel and watch as he turns and walks back to the house. I head to the diner and try to put last night out of my mind. It was a one-time thing and regardless of just how amazing it was, we can’t let it happen again. Eric, for obvious single dad reasons, and me…well because I’m in no position to take on a relationship right now and as much as I am most certainly not a one night stand kind of girl, I’m going to have to learn to accept last night as such. Ugh, damn rock and a hard place and all that bullshit.
The lights are already on when I arrive at Rosie’s, Jack is in the kitchen prepping for the breakfast crowd and Molly is up front starting the first pots of coffee.
“Good morning,” I say, tying my apron around my waist.
“Hey hun, how was your weekend?”
We chat as we set the tables and soon the morning rush begins and I don’t have time to think of anything besides fetching orders and filling coffee cups. Lily comes in around noon with a dark haired woman wearing a very bold leopard print vintage style dress. They sit in my section and when I make it over with two glasses of ice water I overhear the dark haired woman.
“I’m telling you, they like it, they just pretend they don’t because they’re afraid it makes them gay if they admit it,” she says as Lily grins and shakes her head.
“Hey, is now a good time? Because I can come back when you’re done…talking about whatever you’re talking about,” I say.
“You must be Grey,” the dark haired woman says, looking up at me with bright blue eyes, her red lips curved into a genuine smile. “I’m Mona, and no, you don’t have to run away. I’m just explaining the benefits of very gentle, non-invasive prostate stimulation.”
“Ohhhkay. Are you ready to order?”
“I think we’ll each take a special, thanks,” Lily says. “Can you sit for a minute?”
“Sure, I have a quick sec, what’s up?”
“We’re planning our next girl’s night and I wanted to see when you’re free,” she says.
“It’s true, she won’t shut up about you. Honestly, I can see why. You are gorgeous,” Mona says. “I admit I was jealous at first, but I think you and I are going to be very close.”
“Boundaries Mona,” Lily says not looking up from the calendar on her phone.
“Oh boo to your damn boundaries, you feel it don’t you Grey?”
“Sure,” I can’t help but laugh.
“Don’t encourage her, she’ll be showing up at your place braless with a bottle of wine before you know it,” Lily says smiling.
“Bras are bullshit,” Mona says with a shrug.
“Okay how about the Saturday after next?”
“Sure, that works, thanks for the invite,” I say.
“Great! I’ll text you closer to and we can make a plan,” Lily says.
Just as I stand Mona grabs my hand and holds it firmly in hers.
“I don’t want to freak you out but I’m pretty sure you’re my spirit animal,” she says.
“Boundaries Mona,” Lily chides.
“Ignore her, she’s jealous.”
“I’ll be back with your order as soon as it’s ready,” I laugh. “And for what it’s worth, I think you and I are going to be great friends.”
I’m smiling as I head behind the counter and hear Mona say defiantly I told you so before Lily chuckles.
A girl’s night sounds great and the prospect of actual friends sounds even better.
*
Shortly after I pick Jamie up from camp, Eric texts me and says that Anne Parker will be picking Jamie up before supper for a sleepover with her daughter Ivy. I help Jamie pack her overnight bag while she chirps excitedly about her best friend and all the things they like to do together. Anne seems like a nice woman and we chat easily while Jamie gathers the rest of her stuff. Once they’ve left, I make my way downstairs and wonder what to do with myself. Eric will be working for a couple more hours and I’m not so sure I want to be here when he gets home.
Of course, I am a fully functioning adult and I’m more than capable of maintaining some boundaries, but our little kitchen tryst is so damn fresh in my mind that I don’t trust myself not to wonder upstairs and beg him for more. Which would be humiliating and pathetic. I definitely need to get out tonight.
I decide to text Molly and see if she wants to meet up for a drink at Mac’s pub and maybe something to eat. We are always so busy at the diner that our conversation is always rushed. It would be nice to sit and actually talk. Also, the added bonus of not being in the near vicinity of Eric when he gets home, sweaty, dusty, and in need of a hot steamy shower…ugh.
Me: Hey! Want to meet at Mac’s in a bit? A bite to eat and perhaps a civilized conversation?
I jump in the shower quick and when I step out and check my phone she’s already replied.
Molly:Yes! Jack is helping a friend put together a swing set tonight and I would really prefer to not stand at my kitchen sink, eating cereal like a sad, sad woman
Me: Perfect! Meet there in an hour?
Molly: I’ll be there!
I take my time blow drying my hair, opting to twist it up in a knot once I’m done. I pull down a few stra
nds to make it look careless and a bit sexy before I start on my face. I apply a bit of makeup, nothing too wild since I usually lean towards nudes and peach tones and once I’m satisfied that I’ve achieved a mostly natural look, I pluck a lacy white sun dress from my closet and finish it with a thin brown belt tied at my waist. I slip on some tan leather sandals and I’m ready to go with a few minutes to spare.
I toss my phone and some cash into a small worn out leather clutch and lock the door behind me. The air is still warm with a gentle breeze and when I start my car, I roll down the windows to get some fresh air rather than turn on the AC. I plug in my iPod and swipe to Million Reasons by Lady Gaga, singing along as I drive down the bumpy gravel road and head back into town.
I find a parking spot relatively close to Mac’s and text Molly letting her know that I’m here. She’s already inside so I grab my purse and when I step through the large wooden doors I scan the room and see her sitting at a table in the far corner with an attractive red haired woman and a dare I say, ruggedly good looking guy with heavy ink covering both his arms. I navigate through the crowd and when she spots me, she hops up and waves me over.
“Hey! Grey, this is Trace and his wife Sophie, this place was packed already and they offered to let us share their table,” she says.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” I say, as I sit down beside Molly. “Wow, I heard this place is busy but I wasn’t expecting it to be, so early. And on a Monday night.”
“Yeah, it fills up pretty fast,” Sophie says, smiling. Now that I’m closer I notice she has a slight baby bump, made even more obvious when her husband places a large hand over it. “So I hear you met Mona the other day,” she grins.
“Oh yes, I sure did,” I laugh. “I’ve been invited for girl’s night, and told that I may in fact be her spirit animal.”
